Latin America &amp; Caribbeanhttp://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/taxonomy/term/251/all
enUruguay at the forefront of developmenthttp://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/jorge-familiar-in-uruguay
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">World Bank's VP for Latin America and the Caribbean, Jorge Familiar, describes his visit to Uruguay.<br /><br />
<div class="asset-wrapper asset aid-108 asset-video"> <strong>
Jorge Familiar en Uruguay </strong>
<div class="content"></div></div></div></div></div>Mon, 09 Mar 2015 16:16:00 +0000Jorge Familiar916 at http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamericaOil is Well that Ends Wellhttp://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/oil-well-ends-well
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img alt="" height="333" src="http://www.worldbank.org/content/dam/Worldbank/Highlights%20&amp;%20Features/lac/LC3/tt-ocean-rig735x489.jpg" title="Oil production in Trinidad and Tobago" width="500" /><br /><br />
Why are petroleum prices dropping so fast anyway? Have they reached rock bottom yet? Should we be worried if they continue to fall? These are questions that probably every finance minister in either oil-rich or oil importing nations is trying to answer. <br /></div></div></div>Thu, 22 Jan 2015 21:52:00 +0000Francisco G. Carneiro912 at http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamericaArgentina’s challenge: getting rich before getting oldhttp://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/argentina-s-challenge-getting-rich-getting-old
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<img alt="" height="333" src="http://www.worldbank.org/content/dam/Worldbank/Feature%20Story/lac/AR-aniosnovienesolos-735x490.jpg" title="" width="500" /><br /><br />
Probably, Mafalda - an Argentinean comic book character - was right when she said that "the urgent things do not leave time for the important things". However, it is necessary that, in this context, we must stop and think what should be done and what is important.<br /><br />
Argentina is going through a demographic transition process, which implies opportunities and challenges in economics and social fields. That is the actual case of Argentina, as well as the rest of Latin America.<br />
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</div></div></div>Thu, 22 Jan 2015 14:03:33 +0000Ignacio Apella911 at http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamericaLes leçons d’Haïti http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/node/908
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img alt="" height="346" src="http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/files/latinamerica/ht-housing-blog.jpg" title="" width="518" /><br />
Le séisme qui a dévasté Haïti en janvier 2010 a fait plusieurs milliers de morts et causé des dommages estimés à 7,8 milliards de dollars, dont plus de 3 milliards de dollars dans le secteur du logement.<br /><br /></div></div></div>Thu, 08 Jan 2015 23:14:00 +0000Priscilla M. Phelps908 at http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica“What Haiti taught us all”http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/what-haiti-taught-us-all
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img alt="" height="346" src="http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/files/latinamerica/ht-housing-blog.jpg" title="" width="518" /><br />
The January 2010 Haiti earthquake killed many thousands and caused damage and losses estimated at US$7.8 billion, more than US$3 billion of which was in the housing sector alone.<br /><br />
What might surprise those who have heard only anecdotal accounts of the shortcomings of the Haiti response is that some exemplary practices that emerged from that event have already been redeployed in other disaster responses.<br /><br /></div></div></div>Thu, 08 Jan 2015 21:59:00 +0000Priscilla M. Phelps907 at http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamericaVoix d'Haïtihttp://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/node/905
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Cinq ans après le séisme dévastateur qui a frappé la capitale d'Haïti et les villes voisines le 12 Janvier 2010, tuant près de 230 000 personnes, le pays continue à se reconstruire et le peuple haïtien montre des signes de résilience malgré l'incertitude politique actuelle. Presque tout le monde a une histoire à raconter.<br /><br />
« Peu importe à qui vous parlez en Haïti -le médecin de village, le petit entrepreneur à Port-au-Prince, le jeune étudiant universitaire - leur souhait est d'aller de l’avant, "a déclaré l’Envoyée spéciale de la Banque mondiale pour Haïti, Mary Barton –Dock.</div></div></div>Mon, 05 Jan 2015 22:07:00 +0000Isabelle Schaefer905 at http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamericaVoices of Haitihttp://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/voices-haiti
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Five years after a devastating earthquake hit Haiti’s capital and nearby towns on January 12, 2010, killing up to 230,000 people, the country continues to rebuild and the Haitian people show signs of resilience despite the current political uncertainty. Almost everyone has a story to tell.<br />
<br /></div></div></div>Mon, 05 Jan 2015 17:33:00 +0000Isabelle Schaefer904 at http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamericaBuilding on Central America’s Strengthshttp://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/building-central-america-s-strengths
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<img alt="" height="360" src="http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/files/latinamerica/gt-produccion-de-cafe-735x490.jpg" title="" width="540" /><br /><br />
Soon will be January 1, 2015. Most of us will make New Year’s resolutions and most of us will fail to keep them. Keeping New Year’s resolutions is hard. But it turns out that we are much more likely to make good on our resolutions if we decide to build upon our strengths rather than focus on fixing what’s wrong. This insight is all the more important if we combine it with the intriguing view that it is the depth of our strengths, not the absence of weaknesses, which makes us successful. People are successful not because they are perfect but because they have deep strengths. What if this was also the case for countries?<br /><br />
With this in mind I turn my attention to some of the strengths of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, three countries that have recently put together their <strong>“<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/25/us-usa-immigration-plan-idUSKCN0HJ1ZJ20140925" rel="nofollow">Plan of the Alliance for Prosperity in the Northern Triangle</a>.” </strong>The Plan is in part a response to the well-known security challenges facing those countries and the challenges posed by the surge in unaccompanied migrant children but it is also an opportunity to focus on the strengths of the Northern Triangle of Central America and how to develop them even further. And when one goes beyond the headlines one discovers a variety of success stories.</p>
</div></div></div>Mon, 29 Dec 2014 19:16:00 +0000Oscar Calvo903 at http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamericaWho speaks for public media in Latin America? http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/who-speaks-public-media-latin-america
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img alt="" height="360" src="http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/files/latinamerica/mx-medios.jpeg" title="" width="540" /><br />
Latin America has a long, fractured, and ultimately failed history of public media. So-called “public media” typically functioned as government-controlled institutions for spurious goals - propaganda and clientelism - rather than quality content in the service of multiple public interests. <br /><br /></div></div></div>Wed, 26 Nov 2014 22:35:00 +0000Silvio Waisbord899 at http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamericaQuatre ans après, retour sur l'action de la communauté OpenStreetMap en réponse au séisme qui a frappé Haïtihttp://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/node/897
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img alt="" height="379" src="http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/files/latinamerica/ht-map.png" title="" width="500" /><br /><em>Cartes OpenStreetMap montrant Port-au-Prince (Haïti) le 12 janvier 2010 et le 30 janvier 2012<br />
Images : Mikel Maron</em><br /><br />
Avec le lancement cette semaine du <a href="http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/07/20317775/" rel="nofollow">guide pratique</a> fournissant des conseils pour planifier un projet de cartographie Open Cities, il nous a semblé important de revenir sur les accomplissements qui ont inspiré l'équipe Open Cities. </div></div></div>Fri, 31 Oct 2014 19:12:00 +0000Robert Soden897 at http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica4 Years On, Looking Back at OpenStreetMap Response to the Haiti Earthquakehttp://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/4-years-looking-back-openstreetmap-response-haiti-earthquake
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">With this week’s launch of the<a href="http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/07/20317775/" rel="nofollow"> guide</a> to Planning an Open Cities Mapping Project, it is important to return to earlier work that inspired the Open Cities team. <br /><br />
It has now been more than four and a half years since the January 12, 2010 earthquake devastated one of the most vulnerable countries in the Western Hemisphere. Just before 5pm local time on, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti. The epicenter was near the town of Leogane, about 20 miles west of the capital city Port-au-Prince. The heavy block and concrete style construction of the capital— intended to withstand hurricane force winds—collapsed and caused massive loss of life and injury. It is now estimated that over 40,000 people died and over 1 million were displaced. As many as 40% of Haiti’s civil servants were injured or killed, and the majority of government buildings were damaged or destroyed. The World Bank along with donor governments and other international organizations launched one of the largest disaster relief and reconstruction efforts in history. </div></div></div>Wed, 29 Oct 2014 23:42:00 +0000Robert Soden896 at http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamericaCommunities stand up to gender-based violence in Honduras and Guatemala http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/communities-stand-gender-based-violence-honduras-and-guatemala
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<img alt="" height="360" src="http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/files/latinamerica/hn-bono10000-735x490_1.jpg" title="" width="540" /><br /><br />
“Despite all the work that we have been doing, the number of women reporting domestic violence cases has been increasing,” one of the participants in a workshop of the Safer Municipalities project said, expressing his frustration. The Safer Municipalities project is an initiative of the Government of Honduras aimed at preventing violence nationwide. He added, “There must be something missing in the services and referral system we offer for domestic violence in the Municipal Office for Women.”<br /><br />
As the facilitators of the workshop discussion, we replied that quite the opposite was true: an increase in the reporting of domestic violence cases is a positive sign that there is growing confidence in local institutions and a result of the Municipal Office’s efforts. The challenge, we explained, is to address the causes of violence to better support prevention efforts and improve services and response systems.<br />
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</div></div></div>Tue, 28 Oct 2014 18:57:00 +0000Jennifer McCleary-Sills894 at http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamericaIn Latin America, Hard Hats and Tools are no longer only for Menhttp://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/latin-america-hard-hats-and-tools-are-no-longer-only-men
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<img alt="Women that have joined road maintenance has increased significantly." height="285" src="http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/files/latinamerica/images/pe-rural-roads-blogs-gender-woman-500px-2.jpg" title="" width="500" /><br /><br />
While driving around rural areas of Puno in Peru, Caaguazú in Paraguay or Granada in Nicaragua, do not be surprised to see women lifting rocks from the roads and using shovels and picks alongside men. In fact, in the past 15 years, the number of women that have joined organizations in charge of routine road maintenance in Latin America has increased significantly and with this their life conditions have improved dramatically.</p>
</div></div></div>Mon, 18 Aug 2014 21:36:00 +0000Maria Margarita Nunez884 at http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamericaWill more debt hinder the development of the Dominican Republic? http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/will-more-debt-hinder-development-dominican-republic
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<em>Co-Authors: Aleksandra Iwulska, Javier Eduardo Báez and Alan Fuchs</em><br /><br />
In April this year the Dominican Republic borrowed 1.25 billion US dollars on international markets in 30-year bonds. The DR is the only country in the B investment rating group that successfully issued 30-year bonds in the last 6 years. The country has a total of 2.75 billion US dollars for three issuances in the past 15 months.<br /><br />
At the same time, debt levels have been growing in the country: non-financial sector public (NFPS) debt doubled from 18.3 percent of GDP in 2007 to 36.6 in the first quarter of 2014.When considering the DR Central Bank debt stock, levels would be already close to 47 percent of GDP. It is worth noticing that Jiménez and Ovalle (2011) estimated in 56.7% the debt to GDP the maximum debt to GDP threshold that investors would consider sustainable for the DR in 2013. Meanwhile, interest payments reached a peak of 2.4 percent of GDP in 2012-13 and external debt stood at 25 percent of GDP in 2013, levels not seen since the economic crisis of 2003. But the economic realities in the DR now are much different than they were in 2003. GDP grew by 4.1 percent last year and 5.5 percent in the first quarter of 2014. The Central Bank forecasts the annual economic growth at 4.5 percent this year. Meanwhile, central government fiscal deficit dwindled from 6.6 percent of GDP in 2012 to 2.9 percent in 2013.</p>
</div></div></div>Fri, 08 Aug 2014 15:23:00 +0000Miguel Eduardo Sánchez883 at http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamericaWhen a police officer, an ex-gang member, a government official, and an academic walked into a room…http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/when-police-officer-ex-gang-member-government-official-and-academic-walked-room
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img alt="" height="395" src="http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/files/latinamerica/blog-gang-prevention.jpg" width="527" /><br /><br /></div></div></div>Wed, 06 Aug 2014 19:21:00 +0000Flavia Carbonari878 at http://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica